WVH Mock Draft 4.0

Time for the forth installment of the WVH Mock Draft. As the MLS Combine is set to kickoff this today in Florida I am extending my Mock Draft to the second round.

Recently I was asked to do a second round selection for an aggregated mock draft over at American Soccer News for the new Philadelphia Union part of the ASN site. You can see more about that here. Just as it was mentioned on Philly ASN my picks weren’t definite at the time but some were pretty darn close.

Other than adding another round to this adventure there won’t be too many changes in the top 10 or so from the last mock draft. Below is the forth edition of the WVH Mock Draft. Feel free to leave you comments below.

2010 WVH Mock Draft

(* = underclassmen)
(! = Generation adidas signing)

1. Philadelphia Union – Danny Mwanga*!, F, Oregon State

Word has it now that Peter Nowak and Philadelphia front office pushed hard for the league to sign Mwanga. Apparently Nowak promised Mwanga the top pick if he signed with the league. I can’t see them backing out of that now.

2. New York Red Bulls – Dilly Duka*!, M, Rutgers/U-20

I’m still sticking with this pick. I know Ike Opara is the smarter pick but the love fest between the two sides here just makes me believe they’ll take Duka here instead of trying to trade up from number 14 to get him in the first round. Some are with me on this stance while others don’t see Duka go to New York at all. If I end up being wrong on this so be it, but I’d like to this my hunch will pan out on this one.

3. San Jose Earthquakes – Ike Opara*!, D, Wake Forest

San Jose’s defense was terrible in 2009, enter Opara who should be a candidate for Rookie of the Year in 2010. San Jose will be lucky to get him here if New York doesn’t take him at number 2.

4. Kansas City Wizards – Teal Bunbury*!, F, Akron

KC could still go a number of different ways with this pick but Bunbury continues to remain the most likely in my mind. KC needs a good target forward with speed and Bunbury would instantly upgrade their attack. Plus being able to learn from a veteran like Josh Wolff wouldn’t hurt his progression as a player either.

5. FC Dallas (from Toronto FC) – Tony Tchani*!, M, Virginia

No change in my two Dallas picks this week. I could see Dallas go for Wake Forest’s Corbon Bone with this pick if for some reason Tchani is already off the board.

6. FC Dallas – Andre Akpan, F, Harvard

Jeff Cunningham isn’t getting any older and Schellas Hyndman has to know it. Some around Dallas don’t see FCD taking another striker a year after taking Peri Marosevic though. This pick has a chance to change one more time before the draft. I’m waiting to see what kind of Combine Akpan has before my final mock draft.

7. DC United – Corben Bone*!, M/F, Wake Forest

Still have a tough time thinking Bone falls this far but anything is possible (remember Patrick Nyarko’s fall from top pick to number seven two years ago?). DC could still go a couple different ways but it would be tough to not take the best player available here if Bone is still on the board at number seven.

8. Columbus Crew (from Colorado) – Andrew Wiedeman*!, F, Cal

Losing Aljeandro Moreno really makes this a necessary pick at number eight. If Akpan is still on the board they will take him over Wiedeman in my eyes. Still Wiedeman is the best striker left at this point and the Crew really showed they need some offensive help last year.

9. New England Revolution – Toni Stahl, M, UConn

This is a Steve Nicol pick all the way. They could go with UNC’s Zach Loyd here too but I’d be hard pressed to not see them beef up their midfield with a guy like Stahl. They do need offensive help though but with all the quality strikers off the board it makes more sense to take Stahl here rather than gamble on a young striker that may not produce.

10. Chivas USA – Amobi Okugo*!, M, UCLA

This is honestly a steal for Chivas USA in my mind. Okugo is going to be one heck of a player in this league in the years to come.

11. Seattle Sounders FC – Zach Loyd, M/D, UNC

Over the past week I’ve been looking harder at some picks after number 10 and more at Zach Loyd. I’ll admit I totally overlooked Loyd in my previous mock drafts but no longer after reviewing some film I saw of him. Now I think he falls to Seattle at 11. The Sounders need some depth in their midfield and in defense. Loyd is a guy that can play pretty much anywhere and I know Sigi Schmid likes that kind of player on his roster.

12. Columbus Crew – Blair Gavin*!, M, Akron

No change in this pick for me from the last couple weeks. I think it would be hard not to have a smile on your face in Columbus after getting Wiedeman and Gavin here. Both address needs that they have. I could also see them go with a defensive pick here with this selection.

13. Chicago Fire – Ofori Sarkodie, D, Indiana

The Fire stand to lose too much in the back this winter so they have to grab the best defender available to them at this point in the draft.

One of my changes this time around is what the Red Bulls do with this pick. I could see them still go with UConn’s Watson-Siriboe but I see them taking him in the second round now instead. NY needs some help offensively and Schilawski is a very underrated striker in my mind.

15. LA Galaxy – Jack McInerney, M, U-17 MNT

Still sticking with my hunch on this pick. I’ve seen McInerney go from either number 11 or to the last pick of the first round with RSL, which is about right for him.

16. Real Salt Lake – Austin de Luz, M, Wake Forest

de Luz falls this week for me to the last pick of the first round. I could still see them take his Wake Forest teammate Zach Schilawski here but RSL continues to be a club that baffles me in terms of where they will go with this pick. One day it seems like its a guy who fits a need right away and the next its a long-term project. I have trouble seeing them reach on a guy like Zachary Herold here though (the next non-keeper GA player available).

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Second Round

17. Philadelphia Union – Kyle Nakazawa, M, UCLA

Philly assistant John Hackworth is very familiar with Nakazawa from his days coaching the 2005 U.S. Under-17 World Cup team. He had a great run with that team and that kind of familiarity makes sense for this pick.

18. New York Red Bulls – Kwame Watson-Siriboe, D, UConn

If the Red Bulls don’t take him at 14 I can’t see a reason why they don’t grab here at 18. He’ll beef up their defense and quite honestly he’ll be a steal at this point in the draft. The better the Combine he has the more likely he’ll go in the first round though.

19. San Jose Earthquakes – Michael Stephens, M, UCLA

He missed out on a Generation adidas contract last year but look for him to fall somewhere in the early second round this year due to the amount of talent in the Generation adidas class this year. I don’t think San Jose would be hurting if they landed him here.

20. Kansas City Wizards – Sean Johnson*!, GK, Central Florida

I love this pick for KC. They need to find Kevin Hartman’s replacement in this draft and grabbing Johnson at this point will be a great deal for them due to his GA contract. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get plenty of playing time in 2010 too.

21. FC Dallas (From Toronto) – Paulo da Silva, M, SMU

I was picking defensively with this selection until Wednesday’s news that Dallas signed a defender from Ghana. That pretty much put the end on them picking a defender in the second round for me. Enter da Silva who has some Hyndman ties from SMU. Is this the best pick Dallas can make here? No, but we know Hyndman loves picking up SMU players whenever he can.

22. Colorado Rapids (From FCD) – Chris Schuler, D, Creighton

Colorado needs some defensive help and with this first pick they will have to go that route. Nick Cardenas and Phil Edgington are other options here with this pick and some even think they take a gamble on Harold. I think they stay safe and pick Schuler though as he is the more polished defender of the four.

23. Colorado Rapids (From DC) – Collen Warner, M/F, Portland

Probably one of the more underrated players in this draft is Warner. Some say a strong Combine could possible elevate him to a late first round selection. I tend to think he’ll still fall somewhere around the early-to-middle part of the second round. Huge value pick though for the Rapids here.

24. Toronto FC (From Colorado) – Nick Cardenas, D, San Diego State

A big centerback that could really improve a weak Toronto defense. I have trouble thinking Mo Johnston doesn’t find a way to at least get into the ladder part of the first round next week but if he doesn’t look for them to take a defender here.

25. New England Revolution – Jovan Bubonja, GK, Illinois-Chicago

Here’s a guy that could have been the second keeper taken last year now he becomes the second one taken this year. New England lands a replacement for the departed Brad Knighton and possibly a potential replacement for Matt Reis.

26. Chivas USA – Nelson Becerra, M, St. John’s

This is a guy that I’m hoping has a strong Combine because I know he has the potential to be a real quality player in MLS. I’ve seen him a few times over the last few years and I know he is loaded with talent.

27. Seattle Sounders FC – Michael Thomas, M, Notre Dame

Attacking options are going to be tough to find this late in the second round but the Sounders could do well with Thomas who is a very good attacking midfielder. Look for him to sneak up the boards with a good Combine too.

Here is a dangerous outside back that could really move up the draft boards with a good Combine. The Quakes may try to find some attacking talent here but they may have to settle for some attacking help from a defender and not a striker.

29. Chicago Fire – RossLaBauex, M, Virginia

They could go offensive here but I think they stick defensive and go with the best defensive midfielder left on the board in LaBauex. He has the work rate to improve his draft stock at the Combine but for now he’s likely a late second rounder in my mind.

30. San Jose Earthquakes (From Houston) – Brain Perk, GK, UCLA

Some still have him going late in the first round but I think he falls somewhere in the ladder part of the second round for now. Don’t get me wrong Perk is good and will do well if he falls here. I think he’s a replacement for Joe Cannon, who I still think will get traded before the season starts.

31. New York Red Bulls (From LA) – Ronnie Bouemboue , F, NC State

A quality player who his highly underrated. New York has a slew of picks and it wouldn’t shock me to see them trade this one or the other second round pick for some allocation money or something else. If not Bouemboue seems like a quality pick for them here.

32. Real Salt Lake – Zachary Herold*!, D, U-17 MNT

He’ll need a good Combine to make it this high I think. He’s easily this year’s Danny Cruz of the GA players. A long-term project that I think RSL takes a stab on here.